Get more website traffic visitors on Examiner.com, add Google Analytics tracking code and study it

Get more website traffic visitors on Examiner.com, add Google Analytics tracking code and study it

Thanks to my fellow Examiners over at the LinkedIn discussions groups for letting me know that you could put Google Analytics tracking code inside each of your posts to find out which of your particular posts get the most traffics and why -- so I'm writing this post to show other Examiner.com writers how do so, until the time that Examiner.com puts this forthcoming enhancement in place.

Choose "Add a Profile for a new domain", and add Examiner.com as your website and leave the choose adwords box blank

Then you should get "Instructions for adding tracking" and "New Tracking Code ga.js" and under that you'll see "Copy the following code block into every webpage you want to track immediately before the body tag. If your site has dynamic content you can use a common include or a template. Use this tracking code to gain access to a wide range of exciting new features as they become available."

Take the code that you see in that box below that text and copy and paste it to a notepad file so that you can use it often.

Next, when you're writing your next Examiner.com article (or adding it to the old Examiner.com pieces you've written) copy and paste that Google Analytics code in the same box that you would when you're posting a video to Examiner.com -- the little box that pops up when you add the YouTube code there, the one that looks like a clipboard with a on it.

Okay, now that you've got your tracking code installed in your Examiner.com articles, here's how you can use it to figure out what articles are getting the most traffic..and how to duplicate that...

Google Analytics code gives you its data the day after you install it, and you have to wait till the next day to get the results for the previous 24 hour period, or whatever other prior periods you want to analyze.

So far, I see that Google direct traffic is the main source of my traffic -- and that my Twitter and Digg marketing efforts didn't pay off as much yet, at least not until my followers grow on Twitter - CLICK THE PIC TO ENLARGE:

And this next Google Analytics page shows me which ones of my posts got the most traffic yesterday (of the pieces that I put the tracking code inside) and today I was surprised to learn that my recent article about AJ Jewell's funeral got the most views. I didn't even know it was ranked that well till I studied the code. So info like that helps me go back and see that the topic obviously has a lot of interest -- plus, it helps me learn how I wrote that post that helped Google rank it well. Maybe it was the amount of times I wrote "AJ Jewell funeral" throughout the post. CLICK TO ENLARGE AND STUDY:

And finally, getting a view of the keywords -- the actual search terms that people typed into search engines (mostly Google) to find my Examiner.com also helps. Click to enlarge pic:

Here's how you can add header tags to your articles, which I think you should only put in very sparingly.

Look at the latest piece I wrote on Examiner about U2's YouTube.com concert (by the way, that's one of the best traffic tips I can give you, study what I've been writing lately and how I write it, and you'll see what has been working for me to get a lot of hits).

Anyway, go to that page and right-click anywhere on the background and choose "View Page Source" and search CTRL+F for h3 and you'll see how I wrapped those tags around the text that starts with, "Here's the promo video announcing the U2..."

I admire and respect you for the work that you've done to build your blogging income over the past couple of years. I also appreciate that you share your insights and accomplishments with your blog readers.

>> Here's how you can add header tags to your articles, which I think you>> should only put in very sparingly.>>>> Look at the latest piece I wrote on Examiner about U2's YouTube.com>> concert here(by>> the way, that's one of the best traffic tips I can give you, study what>> I've been writing lately and how I write it, and you'll see what has been>> working for me to get a lot of hits).>>>> Anyway, go to that page and right-click anywhere on the background and>> choose "View Page Source" and search CTRL+F for h3 and you'll see how I>> wrapped those tags around the text that starts with, "Here's the promo>> video>> announcing the U2...">>>> You see what I mean? That's what I mean about header tags.>>>> But lately, I've found writing about videos most profitable.

Yes, Examiner.com requires all the necessary IRS forms before they pay you. I remember filling out the appropriate IRS form and faxing it over to them -- and they are so on the ball that when they received it, they knew to check off their ticker system that I'd completed mine so my pay could be released. There was no delay in pay. It was great. Straight to PayPal.com

Hi Paula, I'm an Examiner as well and I've been dying for a google-analytics type of solution! So thank you, thank you!!

I've used Analytics before for several other sites with no problems, but this time I am getting a "tracking not installed" error. I have two questions, if you don't mind:--On the tracking code page, are you copying the code for "single domain" "one domain with multiple sub-domains" or "multiple top-level domains"?--With the newly installed Examiner publishing tool, where are you placing your code for each article? (in the video html box or into the advanced editor in the html clipboard?)

Hi Mary Alice - Let's see, I've been using the code Google Analytics provides under the "single domain" radio button default checked, and I always put it in each article at the end of the Examiner article using the "video html code box" where you usually put your Youtube.com embed code, etc.

If you're getting tracking code not installed, make sure you've copied it the way I described above -- plus, please note that Google Analytics code can sometimes take a few hours (maybe 1 day the first time you do it) to populate.

But after that, you should be able to check your stats on Google Analytics throughout the day.

I found out later that Google Analytics updates pretty frequently throughout the day, so I can check which ones of my Examiner.com pieces are getting hits, and know what keywords are drawing the visitors every hour.

I admire and respect you for the work that you've done to build your blogging income over the past couple of years. I also appreciate that you share your insights and accomplishments with your blog readers.

Don't know yet how to have more traffic. that's why i don't have an income as well. i already registered my site to the money site that you mention in your post but as I've said,my blog doesn't have an income..

Hi Paula-Thanks for the insight! I have a question though, when you add examiner.com as your site in setting up google analytics, do you actually use examiner.com or examiner.com plus all the extensions for your actual page on examiner?Thanks, Liz

yes i was using basic and i now have switched. I did set up an account for a code, i just don't know how to get back in to get the code, after i had set it up i saw a code that said to copy and paste it, but now when i log back in to get the code i can find how to get it.

OMG, who are you and why are you so awesome??? Srsly, thank you for this info. I think the Google screens have changed a little, but your instructions are so clear I'm still able to figure them out. Thank you.